And one final, random cake picture. This is a Grapefruit Cake made famous by the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant. Read the story in the link, it’s great. I got the recipe from American Cake. My horsey bestie made it for a foxhunt brunch last year and I was extremely skeptical of a grapefruit cake. I mean, I love grapefruit, but in a cake? People. It is TO. DIE. FOR. It is SO good. I made one on Christmas and it is as heavenly as I remember. So go get you that cook book, because it is super fun to read and cook from, and make this cake. Right now.

I CANNOT believe we are into the double digits in NOVEMBER! Where does the time go? Fall’ish weather seems to be sticking around North Texas now, although it is supposed to be 82 today. The most important part is that it is cooler for fox hunting! The days are shorter so I’m not getting to ride after work, hopefully soon Boot City will put up some arena lights. The to-do list on the farm is never-ending……

Little Chivas sunbathing. The poor girl has been extra itchy lately. She’s even had hives the past couple days. Hopefully the vet can figure out something to help her. We have been treating her for itchy skin for years.

This is my formal blog introduction to the latest farm family member;Samson! He’s a kill-pen rescue from a good friend. I’m hoping he knows or we cat teach him how to drive!

The outside of our house has finally finished its face lift! We had a contractor/handyman do some trim repairs and painting and then got ALL new windows. The change in window technology from 1964 to 2017 is pretty huge and fabulous.

Mickey is still ridiculous and adorable. He enjoyed the stacked furniture while the windows were being replaced. He’s had a few adoption applications recently so hopefully he gets his own family for Christmas!

One of the funniest photos from Opening Hunt. My horsey bestie is busy braiding her horses tail while the rest of us are drinking port and chatting. I’m holding her drink and mine, not two of my own drinks.

I’m thankful for all my friends and family and wish you the best Thanksgiving!

Fall is making a brief appearance this weekend here in North Texas. The wind is HOWLING today and I have a suspicion that we may lose more of the roof off the old barn. Owning property with outbuildings is not always glamorous. The fox hunting season is kicking off soon and we will be celebrating the beginning of the season this weekend. I’m SO excited!

Onward to updates from around the farm over the past week or two.

One of the last toads of the season. This guy/gal was in the dog water bowl and I thought he was too cute!

I have been nagging and nagging Boot City to finish the road gate as part of our pets-in-traffic prevention program and he FINALLY got it done! I LOVE it! It is the fanciest gate ever! The frame is 8″x2″ and the whole thing is 14′ wide so is very stout and yet very modern. The hinges he used are super heavy duty so it opens and closes smoothly and evenly even though it weighs more than 500lb. The automatic opener still needs to be installed, but I’m fine with the manual open and close for now.

THE gate!

These days it is very difficult to get a photo of the muppies that isn’t blurry! We let them in the house in the mornings and evenings and they play and play and play! Animal and Annie Sue went to the vet yesterday and they were 30lb and 25lb respectively. They will be BIG dogs!

Muppy play time.

We have a handy man/contractor doing some updates to the house right now and his first project was to replace the door from the breezeway to the garage. The door was in poor shape when we bought the house, but was made tremendously worse by the dog pack we have had during the past few years. Jessie did the door in and the entire bottom half was missing! The new door is metal so no worries about it getting giant holes in it, just scratches.

This past Saturday was a BIG day for the muppy family! Of the 11 puppies 5 will stay in Texas and 6 will go to New York to get adopted. The New York crew will stay in Texas until they are old enough to get spayed/neutered and finish all their puppy shots. The local puppies can be adopted earlier, with conditions requiring regular vet visits. Well, this past Saturday four of the muppies went to an adoption event and I’m so pleased to tell you that all four were adopted within a couple hours!

On their way to Dogtopia! This photo was before they ALL got carsick and threw up.

The rescue group had done a few posts advertising a puppy adoption event so people were able to submit adoption applications in advance and speed up the process on the day of the event.

Denise was the first muppy to be adopted. She will be an only dog and will have a new little girl to be her best friend.

Denise

Betty Lou was Boot City’s favorite muppy so it was hard for him to let her go, but she was adopted by a delightful older couple who already have one smaller dog.

Beautiful brindle Betty Lou

Rizzo was VERY popular with his adorably scruffy face and extra calm demeanor. He was adopted by a super fun family and will get to go on lots of adventures! His adoptors have already contacted me and requested baby pics.

Rizzo. Who could resist this face?!

Last, but certainly not least, to leave the building was Camilla. She went home with a young couple to be their first pet together.

Camilla and Pablo snuggles.

It is always a little big hard to let the foster dogs go, but it is so satisfying to know that we helped these puppies have the best start to life they could. Definitely much better than if they had been born on the side of a busy road, which would have been their fate had a good Samaritan not picked up Jessie and July. My hope is that their adoptors will keep in touch, but there is satisfaction in knowing they went to good homes.

HAPPY Friday! I”m sorry I’ve been MIA this week. I’m travelling for work a lot this month and didn’t schedule myself very well. We had a lovely holiday weekend and I got was happy to help with some dog transports to open shelter space for Harvey evacuees from the Houston area. Shout out to the Woof Gang group in Wisconsin for taking over 40 dogs out of Texas!

Mama Jessie has decided it is time for the muppies to enter their next step in their path to adult muppiness and is refusing to nurse or clean up after them. I totally get the nursing part since they have teeth now, but now I have to clean up all the poo!

There are few things as cute as 11 muppies charging at you every time they see you! They bark, and growl, and play , and do all the cute puppy things!

Sleepy!

Future Branch Manager

Denise is much smaller than all the others, but she is the feistiest!!

It has been a relatively uneventful week on the farm. Which is a pleasant change! My horse trailer has a bit more damage from the runaway roof than we initially thought it had, so it goes in for repairs next week.

Enjoy the farm pics!

Casey had a photo shoot last weekend for his sale ad. He’s so handsome!

Jessie enjoying some time cooling off in a puddle. Hairy dogs don’t love Texas summers!

The muppies are big enough to nurse while Mom is standing!

Mickey had a follow-up vet visit this week. The trip was very hard on him.

Last week at this time the 14 day forecast was pretty amazing with most days having highs in the 80’s. Sadly the weatherpeople were mistaken and now the forecast is for more crazy hot and humid weather in Texas. Bummer!

Enjoy the farm update!

Sleeping Dragon.

The roof that landed on my horse trailer and Boot City’s flatbed trailer. Boot City got it all cleaned up within 48 hours because he is amazing.

One of myriad damaged trees.

The power company putting a new pole in our back pasture and re-hanging the wire that was torn down when the pole was knocked down by a fallen tree.

I will start this post by telling you just how difficult it is to get decent photographs of 17 day old puppies! They were due for their first deworming so I took the opportunity to get photos of them whilst I was weighing and torturing them with Panacur. They range from 3.8lb to 1.8lb. They all have their eyes mostly open and are starting to walk. I’m pretty sure that within the next week or two they will be hell on wheels and able to climb out of their little pool in my tack room!

Animal. He is the chunk of the group!

Annie Sue was quite sleepy for her photo shoot and time in the scale.

Camilla was very cooperative and cute. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

Mary Louise was inquisitive and squirmy.

Betty Lou is PRECIOUS!

Gladys has the most striking coloring with an almost all white face.

His picture doesn’t quite do him justice, but Gonzo is also a pretty big boy.

Kermit is the smallest boy and he was the squirmiest! He tried real hard to get out of that scale and kept me on my toes!

Fozzie looks like a little fluffy bear.

Little Denise is the smallest of the muppies weighing in at 1.8 lb.

Last, but certainly not least, is little Rizzo!

Hopefully later this week and next weekend I will get some more good video. They are a very vocal and mobile crowd these days!